Since late July, when a special law allowing the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq was enacted, the Japanese media has engaged in a fierce battle to report when, where and how many personnel will be sent to the war-ravaged country.

The battle intensified after Oct. 9, when a government fact-finding mission returned from Iraq, as details of the dispatch were to be decided after the mission filed its report.

As the media scramble heated up, conflicting information and articles apparently more based on guesswork than on facts began to appear.